Hello once again, fair reader.
Today I'd like to talk about what I think is one of the greatest benefits of our hobby and some of the opportunities I believe we are missing out on. I think the title of this post kinda gives away the theme though, so I will jump right in!
At it's very heart, Warhammer 40,000 is a social game between two or more players. Unlike PC or console gaming, you actually have to be physically in the same room as your opponent, you have to speak to them and (to some extent) you actually have to be considerate and polite. Well, unless you are good friends and throw insults at each other as often as you roll the dice; even then it is usually good natured and in the spirit of ensuring you both have a good time... But that is a topic for another time.
In order to organise games, many players join clubs; not only are you more likely to find an opponent from a greater pool of players than just one or two of your friends, but terrain and boards are usually provided and stored for you. Varying who you play within that pool can also help keep the game fresh and exciting with so many people collecting different armies and in different styles. You'll get the hobby nut who's force just keeps getting bigger despite each model looking like it could win a Golden Daemon, the tournament regular whose lists are ultra-refined but models are often glued and painted quickly or assembled with blu-tac so that he always has the right weapon options, the butterfly who turns up with a different codex every week and a completely unexpected list. All these and many many more. What's more, because you are all their of your free will, you will generally all want the club to succeed; improving the terrain, willing to lend a hand at events, encouraging each other to bigger and better things, be they armies, conversion or even stuff outside the hobby. You make friends who understand your mindset, who not only don't judge you for being a little geeky like work colleagues might but actually revel in it.
These people give you a rallying point, an excuse to get out of the house and something of a break from the rest of your life. But like any group of friends, their purpose (for want of a better word) often spills out beyond simply offering you someone to roll dice with. I'm currently a member of two gaming clubs and from both I get fairly regular invites to go out for drinks, for parties or to see films etc. One being based at a university, we also have regular socials, some of which can be... I think I should just show you the pictures;
As well as all that madness, gaming has a thriving on-line community. From the darkest depths of forums like Warseer and Bell of Lost Souls to the bright peaks of high quality blogs offering great advice and opinions such as Something Wicked This Way Comes, From The Fang and even Ex instinctu Imperator, we are served up with a global audience who actively participate in conversation and share ideas freely. As I pointed out in my article The changing tide, this simply didn't exist a few years ago, but it has brought about an explosion of hobby love. From the Golden Daemon coverage in White Dwarfs from when I started and looking at more recent winners, I'm pretty certain the the standard has been exponentially increased by this mass sharing of knowledge and techniques, as well as source material and photos of exquisite miniatures.
So that is the community aspect covered; I know personally having that cadre of people around me has helped through some tough times and I do hope that other people have had similar experiences (the positive help... I wouldn't want to wish those hard times on anyone!) What about the charity?
I can't find the exact quote, but I remember it being something along the lines of "a community isn't until it can raise up its poorest." To my knowledge, our community doesn't really do all that much to raise money or help out others. Admittedly, 'our poorest' is a very relative term when you consider the price of entry in to wargaming, but that doesn't mean we can't help others and use the gushing fountain of shared support, knowledge and drive that exists between us. Sure, at the Forge World Open Day, they always raffle off a titan, raising a few thousand pounds a time. I have seen similar raffles at tournaments and the like too, even a couple of tournaments where all of the entry fees went to charity. That is all a good start, but I don't think it is really enough for such a large number of people with a collective will. Again, it is all fair enough to say words like that, but without actions they are meaningless.
Action time then; I want to start my own 40k fund-raising event. With a little luck, I'd like to make it an annual thing, but for the time being I want to make sure it runs first. Here's a little break down of what I have planned so far
What kind of charity 40k event would you run?
Matt
Today I'd like to talk about what I think is one of the greatest benefits of our hobby and some of the opportunities I believe we are missing out on. I think the title of this post kinda gives away the theme though, so I will jump right in!
At it's very heart, Warhammer 40,000 is a social game between two or more players. Unlike PC or console gaming, you actually have to be physically in the same room as your opponent, you have to speak to them and (to some extent) you actually have to be considerate and polite. Well, unless you are good friends and throw insults at each other as often as you roll the dice; even then it is usually good natured and in the spirit of ensuring you both have a good time... But that is a topic for another time.
In order to organise games, many players join clubs; not only are you more likely to find an opponent from a greater pool of players than just one or two of your friends, but terrain and boards are usually provided and stored for you. Varying who you play within that pool can also help keep the game fresh and exciting with so many people collecting different armies and in different styles. You'll get the hobby nut who's force just keeps getting bigger despite each model looking like it could win a Golden Daemon, the tournament regular whose lists are ultra-refined but models are often glued and painted quickly or assembled with blu-tac so that he always has the right weapon options, the butterfly who turns up with a different codex every week and a completely unexpected list. All these and many many more. What's more, because you are all their of your free will, you will generally all want the club to succeed; improving the terrain, willing to lend a hand at events, encouraging each other to bigger and better things, be they armies, conversion or even stuff outside the hobby. You make friends who understand your mindset, who not only don't judge you for being a little geeky like work colleagues might but actually revel in it.
As well as all that madness, gaming has a thriving on-line community. From the darkest depths of forums like Warseer and Bell of Lost Souls to the bright peaks of high quality blogs offering great advice and opinions such as Something Wicked This Way Comes, From The Fang and even Ex instinctu Imperator, we are served up with a global audience who actively participate in conversation and share ideas freely. As I pointed out in my article The changing tide, this simply didn't exist a few years ago, but it has brought about an explosion of hobby love. From the Golden Daemon coverage in White Dwarfs from when I started and looking at more recent winners, I'm pretty certain the the standard has been exponentially increased by this mass sharing of knowledge and techniques, as well as source material and photos of exquisite miniatures.
So that is the community aspect covered; I know personally having that cadre of people around me has helped through some tough times and I do hope that other people have had similar experiences (the positive help... I wouldn't want to wish those hard times on anyone!) What about the charity?
I can't find the exact quote, but I remember it being something along the lines of "a community isn't until it can raise up its poorest." To my knowledge, our community doesn't really do all that much to raise money or help out others. Admittedly, 'our poorest' is a very relative term when you consider the price of entry in to wargaming, but that doesn't mean we can't help others and use the gushing fountain of shared support, knowledge and drive that exists between us. Sure, at the Forge World Open Day, they always raffle off a titan, raising a few thousand pounds a time. I have seen similar raffles at tournaments and the like too, even a couple of tournaments where all of the entry fees went to charity. That is all a good start, but I don't think it is really enough for such a large number of people with a collective will. Again, it is all fair enough to say words like that, but without actions they are meaningless.
Action time then; I want to start my own 40k fund-raising event. With a little luck, I'd like to make it an annual thing, but for the time being I want to make sure it runs first. Here's a little break down of what I have planned so far
- BIG Apocalypse game! I'm talking a multi-table affair with some where in the region of 20 players in total. If I can swing it so there are more, brilliant; but again it is probably best to start relativly small and make sure it all works first!
- £5 entry fee to be paid before the event. Essentially enough to make sure the event raises some money and make it so people will actually turn up, rather than saying they will and not doing so on the day.
- Personal missions that individual players can buy, also for about £5. These would be bought on the day and would range in difficulty from killing X units in a single phase or nominating and killing an enemy Warlord to things like taking the final wound/hull point from the largest Gargantuan Creature/Super-heavy vehicle in the game or ensuring every model that player controls is removed only by enemy shooting. Some may even grant you a Strategic Asset to use to aid your quest. In all cases, the players would have to keep them secret until the end of the game, but they would get Strategic Victory Points.
- Run an aCAKEalypse along side; essentially a bake sale and drinks bar to keep the players' sugar levels up and raise more money. I may even include a personal mission to buy the GO a cake...
- Suggested donations of £1 for every Super-heavy vehicle or Gargantuan Creature you wish to include in your force. This one is partly there to make people think twice about just packing all their biggest guns, which can be less fun for players who don't have as many, but still allow them to bring what they want in a way that everyone should be happy with.
- Also a suggested £1 donation for every codex a single player uses after their first. Sure you can bring your Space Marines, but if you want to include those lovely Leman Russ tanks and that Harlequin squad as well, you'll need to do your bit for charity.
- I wouldn't want to waste money on prize support. However, I do want to give something to the winning side, so perhaps a certificate each. I'll also be talking to one of the local hobby stores to see if they might donate a gift certificate or two, perhaps for the player who has the most Strategic Objectives at the end of the game or who has completed the most personal missions.
- Charity re-rolls! Spend 50p or so per ticket before the game and/or at the breaks. Each allows you to re-roll any single dice (including any that have all ready been re-rolled!) You can give those tickets to any other player, so it won't just be the guy with the deepest pockets who can dictate the course of fate!
What kind of charity 40k event would you run?
Matt
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